Change of Heart (Alternate Ending)
by xSunnyEclipse
Summary: An alternate ending I wrote for the episode Change of Heart where Lori finally confronts Clyde about his crush on her. (Includes some Lobby and Ronniecoln at the end)


Clyde knew that it was time to face Lori and have a normal conversation with her. He spent the whole day hanging out with Leni and getting advice, and it was time to face his fear…

As he waved goodbye to Leni and headed to the front yard, he saw his best friend Lincoln reading a comic on the porch stairs. When he saw Clyde, he peeked up from the comic and smiled,

"So, are you ready Clyde?"

"...Ready as I'll ever be, Lincoln."

"…Good luck, buddy." Lincoln replied and placed a hand on his shoulder, "and if it doesn't work out, I'm here for you."

Clyde nodded back and started heading inside. But he bumped into Lori.

"Lor–Lor-" was all that he could say in front of her.

Lori nodded her head, "Yes, I know…Clyde, can we talk?"

Clyde nodded back and watched as she sat down next to him. He followed her and sat down on the stairs. Lincoln noticed the two behind him and walked towards away towards a nearby tree.

"Look, Clyde. I feel awful for not accepting the gifts you gave me through the years. When I wasn't feeling good or I lost one of my golf matches…You were always able to cheer me up…." she placed a hand on his shoulder, which gave him chills.

"…But?"

"…But, while I appreciate it all. You know it's never going to happen between us. You deserve someone who will love you for you and won't take advantage of you…

Like I did..."

"But but Lori?" Clyde replied, as she placed another hand on his other shoulder.

"Clyde, you need to realize that I already have a boyfriend. He may have moved far away from me, but I'd literally never forget about him. He means more to me now than ever. And you need to accept that."

Clyde looked down at his feet and twiddled his fingers. He felt like his heart was shattering to pieces and everything he knew was gone. But looking up at Lori, she continued to smile at him. Why? She should be angry that he was bugging her through the years. Then, she opened her mouth again,

"..But, we can still be friends if you want." She shrugged her shoulders, "I'd understand if you didn't."

"O-O…of course I do, Lori." Clyde smiled sweetly at her.

"I-I'm sorry for being creepy towards you and sometimes trying to get rid of Bobby–"

"Huh?"

"Forget it." Clyde chuckled and continued, "I never realized how important Bobby was to you. It must have been really hard for you to accept him moving. I'm so sorry, Lori. Could you ever forgive me?

Lori smiled back at him, "...As long as you can forgive me."

"Of course. I would do anything for you, Lori."

Lori sighed at that reply and went in and hugged Clyde. At first Clyde felt like he would freeze, but he didn't. He was able to hug her without breaking down or turning into a robot. This means that this part of the story was over. And it was time to start a new chapter of his life.

"Oh and Lori, I really hope Bobby continues to treat you right. And if that city boy doesn't, I'll do what taught me...HAVE A NICE TALK WITH HIM." And he playfully punched the air.

Lori giggled and ruffled his hair, "I'm just glad to have you as a friend, Clyde."

"Me too, Lori." and he started walking over to Lincoln to tell him the news.

As he walked away, Lori leaned back on the stairs and started thinking about Bobby. This was the first time since last week that she thought about the move, and it was coming back to her.

Later on, Clyde returned back to Lincoln, where the two were leaning back on a tree and stared up at the clouds. Lincoln was waiting for Clyde to make some remark about how one of the clouds reminded him of Lori's soft, puffy hair. But his best friend was being very quiet. This was surprising for Lincoln to see.

"..Are you alright, buddy?"

"Better than ever, Lincoln."

"Did you actually have a normal conversation with Lori?"

"Yes!-and she totally rejected me, but were friends and that's all that matters."

Lincoln sighed, "I'm sorry buddy, but you were going to have to find out sooner or later. Besides, seeing you act like a robot around her was getting old after a while."

Clyde nodded, "I know, and I know now that she is dedicated to Bobby and I need to respect that." Then he noticed the time on his watch and got up from the ground,

"Well I have to get going. My dads are making Italian tonight, and I need to set the table. Thanks for everything, Lincoln."

"No problem, pal." Lincoln replied and went back to reading his comic.

"…Oh and tell Lori that Bobby is lucky to have an amazing woman like her." And he started heading home.

As he was finishing up the comic, Lincoln looked over to his eldest sister on the stairs. She had not moved from that spot since the talk. He decided to get up from the ground and check up on her.

"Hey, are you okay, Lori? Clyde told me what happened and I'm glad you let him down gently."

"Yeah, it was the right thing to do." Lori turned to her younger brother, "But Clyde reminded me of Bobby and…"

"..And?"

"..Him moving away. He's literally been gone for a week and I can't stop thinking about him. Even when I try, he's always on my mind. I thought I shook off the idea of missing him. But I still do."

Tears started coming down her face and she held her legs close to her chest, "I-I'm sorry it's just so complicated. You wouldn't understand, Lincoln."

The boy was shocked by this and he sat next down to her,

"Wouldn't understand? Why wouldn't I? I miss Bobby too and you have a right to miss him. He's your boyfriend and I know how important someone in your life can be when they leave."

"..H-how do you know?" Lori looked back at him with tears covering her face.

Lincoln took in a deep breath,

"…Because the way you miss Bobby, that's how I feel about Ronnie Anne now. I thought I was over her moving, but I always end up thinking about her and how much I miss her too." And he couldn't help letting out a tiny swoon.

When she saw this, Lori smiled, wiped her tears away and ruffled Lincoln's hair,

"Well, looks like we got it bad for those Santiagos."

Lincoln blushed and brushed Lori's hands away from his hair, "Y-Yeah yeah, I guess so…"

"Come on, Lincoln. How about we drown our tears in ice cream and watch a movie?" Lori started getting up from the stairs but Lincoln stopped her.

"Or..how about we do group call with Bobby and Ronnie Anne?"

"Sounds like a great idea, bro!" Lori replied and quickly ran for the door, "Oh! And I can tell Ronnie Anne how much you LOVE HER."

"LORIIII." Lincoln exclaimed, as he followed his older sister inside the house.


End file.
